The Bibliophile's Bookshelf

This month’s Saturday Spotlight theme is sci-fi. The two sci-fi books I have shared so far are Illuminae and The 5th Wave. You can find those posts here and here.

This week’s book is A Spark of White Fire by Sangu Mandanna. This is book one in the Celestial Trilogy. It is followed by A House of Rage and Fire, and then A War of Swallowed Stars.

I should start out by saying that I LOVE this series. It is probably one of my favorite series, though I never hear anybody talk about it, which is really surprising. There are so many good storylines and tropes that I think many people would love.

One of the best aspects of this book is the mythological aspect. The gods in this story are based on Indian mythology. They have such a strong influence and presence in the story, and I love the different relationships they develop. I especially love the sibling aspect seen among them. Being a fan of Percy Jackson, I was used to the indifference from the god characters. This series switches it on its head.

There also has a really powerful, but still emotional female main character. This series starts out with her infiltrating a royal family to take them down and reinstate her family on the throne.

Family and friendship are such a big part of the entire series, which I love. I enjoy a good romance, which this book has, but I really love finding books with strong family/ friend relationships. I think that is something that should be more prominent in books.

One of the big things for me is that is takes place in space. I love a good space book, but unfortunately, I don’t find too many teen titles that cater to this desire.

If you’re wanting a short YA series that takes place in space with romance, family drama, strong female characters overthrowing the government, and a mythological retelling then A Spark of White Fire is for you!

Summary:

In a universe of capricious gods, dark moons, and kingdoms built on the backs of spaceships, a cursed queen sends her infant daughter away, a jealous uncle steals the throne of Kali from his nephew, and an exiled prince vows to take his crown back. Raised alone and far away from her home on Kali, Esmae longs to return to her family. When the King of Wychstar offers to gift the unbeatable, sentient warship Titania to a warrior that can win his competition, she sees her way home: she’ll enter the competition, reveal her true identity to the world, and help her famous brother win back the crown of Kali. It’s a great plan. Until it falls apart. Inspired by the Mahabharata and other ancient Indian stories, A Spark of White Fire is a lush, sweeping space opera about family, curses, and the endless battle between jealousy and love.

Hopefully I’ll be able to reread this series soon and provide a more complete review of the whole series.